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NGOs are alarmed at the EU for possibly abandoning the fight against illegal logging and failing forested countries
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This letter was sent to Prime Minister Janez Janša and Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
We are a group of environmental and human rights NGOs that work to advance forest governance and forest peoples' rights globally. We are writing to you to convey our concerns regarding the preliminary findings of the Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) and EU Timber Regulations Fitness Check which the Directorate General for the Environment at the European Commission presented to EU stakeholders this year.
We are extremely worried that the 'Fitness Check' may propose to repeal the FLEGT Regulation and its Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs). This would represent a major blow to governments and civil society stakeholders both in the EU and partner countries who have worked tirelessly to improve forest management and laws and fight illegal logging and the associated trade in Africa, Asia, and South America. We are concerned that there has not been adequate communication and consultation with partner countries about any proposed changes to FLEGT and VPAs. We call on the European Commission (EC) to urgently publish the FLEGT Fitness Check to allow scrutiny of the evaluation.
The FLEGT Regulation and VPAs constitute the EU's flagship tool to curb illegal logging and boost the trade in legally sourced timber. VPAs address the underlying problems of governance and law enforcement by placing key decision-making powers in the hands of stakeholders in the producer countries and by establishing incentives, through trade preferences and the provision of capacity-building assistance. In many countries, national VPA processes have triggered legal reforms, resulting in new laws which include strong sustainability elements.
Despite the challenges in their implementation, VPAs have had many positive impacts, and provide a model that could be applied to agricultural commodities. For this reason, we believe it is critical that the FLEGT Regulation, together with the VPAs that underpin it, are maintained, and strengthened—as a key contributor to the EU's actions on deforestation. Furthermore, by ensuring forests are managed inclusively and transparently, FLEGT also contributes to the European Green Deal's objectives and to the Paris Agreement goals. We call on the EC to provide an analysis of the likely impacts on affected countries of ending the FLEGT action plan (if this is not included in the FLEGT Fitness Check).
Our position is summarised in the following statement signed by over 40 NGOs from across the world.
We are also concerned about a recently leaked version of a European Commission staff working document on a new regulation on deforestation, including timber. That document suggests that the regulation would not cover several important products and would not be put in place until 2025. It would also not cover risk areas like wetlands and savannahs or include respect for customary tenure as a binding criterion for placing products on the EU market.
Furthermore, the leaked staff working document hints that the continued existence of the FLEGT/VPAs system would be inconsistent with a new EU law that goes beyond legality to include sustainability criteria applicable to timber and other forest-risk commodities. However, there appears to have been little, if any, consideration as to how the existing FLEGT/VPA system could be updated to resolve the identified weaknesses and incorporate the new sustainability criteria (as is proposed for the EU Timber Regulation). Nor does there appear to be any alternative mechanism conceived to replace VPAs to facilitate the engagement and capacity building with producing countries that will be necessary to support the improvement of local legal frameworks in line with the new EU sustainability criteria. Instead, the document suggests that existing VPAs will remain in place even though they may be inconsistent with EU's legal requirements for timber, subject to a potential political deal to minimise the political damage in VPA countries. From both a policy and diplomatic perspective, this approach risks alienating VPA countries rather than increasing political will, incentives, and capacities in producing countries to undertake needed legal reforms, in an inclusive and democratic manner, towards higher standards.
The future of the world's forests must remain high on the EU's diplomatic agenda. Existing and successful instruments such as the FLEGT Regulation and VPAs must be maintained and strengthened to achieve the European Green Deal objectives at home and abroad.
We would welcome your views on all these issues and the opportunity to discuss the future of FLEGT and the EUTR in the context of the proposed new regulation on deforestation with your services.
Categories: NGO Statements, Forest Governance


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Top 10 Oscar Surprises
Matt Brennan
@@thefilmgoer
Here are 10 Oscar moments that left us gobsmacked. Which winners, speeches, performances, fashions, and gaffes surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments below.
10. Charlie Chaplin Receives 12-Minute Standing Ovation (1972)
It may not be surprising, exactly — after all, he earned it with "The Gold Rush," "City Lights," "Modern Times," and "The Great Dictator," among others — but the sheer length of the ovation Chaplin upon receiving an honorary Oscar in 1972 left the filmmaker himself nearly speechless. (Though he'd received a special award for "The Circus" in 1929, his remarkable career had, to that point, netted but three competitive nominations — two for "The Great Dictator" and one for "Monsieur Verdoux" — and no wins.) As perhaps the greatest of the silent cinema's actors and directors understood, there are times when "words seem so futile, so feeble," and this was surely one.
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9. Roberto Benigni Climbs His Way to the Oscar (1999)
In retrospect, the Italian actor/director's exuberant, mildly dangerous procession to the stage, where he accepted Best Foreign-Language Film for "Life Is Beautiful" from countrywoman Sophia Loren, may appear to be part of his shtick — but at the time, the moment came across as a genuine, spontaneous outpouring of joy. Balancing precariously on the backs of seats, guided by the hands of well-wishers, Benigni refused to disguise his delight, and in the process shook up the prim "acceptance speech" form. (At the very least, it made for good TV.)
8. The American Express Card Dress (1995)
Before Bjork's swan was even a glimmer in its designer's eye, "The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert" costume designer broke new ground in the unofficial "She wore what?!" category (pioneered by Cher's headdress) with a dress made entirely of American Express Gold cards. An idea that originated with "Priscilla," only to be turned down by the credit card company, the eye-catching ensemble made waves beyond the red carpet when Gardiner and collaborator Tim Chappel received the Academy Award from Sharon Stone. AmEx provided 300 custom cards printed with Gardiner's name for the occasion, and later featured her in its ads, so the moment may also qualify as a milestone in the history of product placement.
7. Whoopi, "The African Queen" (1999)
Entering to the score of the night's eventual (and itself unexpected) Best Picture winner, "Shakespeare in Love," Goldberg began one of the most successful hosting stints in recent memory — and a personal favorite of mine — on a note of delicious high camp. Aping Supporting Actress winner Judi Dench's elaborate get-up as Queen Elizabeth I in John Madden's spry romantic comedy, Goldberg surprised and delighted the assembled stars from the first: "Good evening, loyal subjects," she began. "I am the African queen." If there were a school for prospective Oscar hosts, this would be the required viewing in Opening Monologue 101.
6. Adrien Brody Smooches Halle Berry (2003)
This may seem too high on the list, but if you pause to think about it, the kiss is the result of a confluence of surprising developments. Up against a murderer's row of former winners (Michael Caine, Nicolas Cage, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Jack Nicholson), the mostly unknown Brody won Best Actor for Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama "The Pianist," and proceeded to land a wet one on the unsuspecting — and, let's face it, not entirely thrilled-looking — Berry. (It was also the year that the Academy brought the absent Polanski, in exile since 1977 on rape charges, back into the fold, awarding him Best Director.) Brody made a joke of it while presenting the Best Actress trophy the following year, applying a bit of breath spray before announcing the winner, but in reality it was a strange and slightly uncomfortable moment, of the kind only live television offers.
5. "Crash" Defeats "Brokeback Mountain" for Best Picture (2006)
The upset of upsets, at least since the Weinsteins maneuvered "Shakespeare in Love" into pole position over "Saving Private Ryan," "Crash" winning Best Picture over "Brokeback Mountain" has achieved near-mythic status in the annals of Academy errors — though I still think in pales in comparison to the long list of extraordinary filmmakers who never won Best Director, or Cary Grant's paltry two nominations (with zero wins). Whether the result of homophobia, the revenge of the Steak Eaters, or the Academy's oft-misplaced sense of social importance, the "Brokeback" loss seemed to shock even presenter Jack Nicholson, who raised his eyebrows so high they almost reached the rafters.
4. Jack Palance Performs One-Armed Push-ups at Age 73 (1992)
Forty years after receiving two consecutive Supporting Actor nominations (for "Sudden Fear" and "Shane"), Palance finally triumphed for his role in "City Slickers," a celebrated the way only a Hollywood legend can: by stealing the show. The strapping actor's ambidextrous one-armed push-ups and his good-natured jab at height-challenged host Billy Crystal ("I crap bigger than him") are what we remember, but the demonstration of his fitness was actually part of a sweet, sincere plea not to write off older performers. "They forget to ask that you go out there," he said of producers with an eye cast toward fresher talent, and his memorable display was proof that age really is just a number.
3. Stanley Donen's Oscar Soft-Shoe (1997)
Speaking of showing late-career mettle, musical comedy master Stanley Donen ("Singin' in the Rain," "Charade") — never once nominated for the competitive Best Director prize — received his honorary Oscar from Martin Scorsese with the most winsome acceptance "speech" this side of Sally Field. Breaking into "Cheek to Cheek," made famous by former collaborator Fred Astaire in 1935's "Top Hat," Donen's inspired tap routine was a fitting tribute to the form he made his own, and to the brilliant writers, lyricists, and performers he so humbly honored. It was, more than any Oscar moment I can remember, a complete, unadulterated class act.
2. Sacheen Littlefeather Declines Brando's Oscar (1973)
It's tough to draw a comparison in Oscar history to Brando and Littlefeather's political statement here, because there's nothing quite like it. After turning in an iconic comeback performance as Vito Corleone, the star — newly involved in the American Indian Movement — sent the Littlefeather to turn down the award, citing Hollywood's mistreatment of American Indians. Eliciting both jeers and applause from the audience, as well as a bemused look from presenter Roger Moore, it remains an unforgettable moment more than four decades on.
1. David Niven and the Streaker (1974)
Though it's almost too easy to have this one top the list, the full clip of host David Niven's reaction to streaker Robert Opel is a near-perfect illustration of the ceremony's persistent "the show must go on" attitude. (Whether this constitutes a plus or a minus is an open question.) After proclaiming the industry immune from the real world's "nervous breakdown," the unflappable Niven waits out the reaction to the nude man running onstage — all as the orchestra, rather bafflingly, strikes up a ditty, bringing to mind the musicians playing during the sinking of the Titanic. And then he picks up again without missing a beat, playing it off as something other than the great shock it was. "That was almost bound to happen," he deadpans, and if this list is any indication, at the Oscars, almost anything can.
This Article is related to: Awards and tagged Academy Awards, Lists, Oscars, Video

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Fate of Home Rule Charter back in hands of voters
by: Lester Duhé
Posted: Feb 22, 2019 / 04:51 AM CST / Updated: Feb 22, 2019 / 04:51 AM CST
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — It appears voters in Lafayette Parish are headed back to the polls once again.
The Secretary of State's Office was made aware of several errors in the Home Rule Charter Amendment voters approved in December, deconsolidating City-Parish government.
"I'm going to say it's between 15 and 20 mistakes along those lines that need to be corrected," said Lafayette Mayor-President Joel Robideaux.
Following the elction, the Lafayette Parish Registrar of Voters started noticing errors in the Amendment, and those errors could force a brand new election.
"What I've learned is that there's a swath of voters that have no representation if things move forward as is, which creates a constitutional dilema," said Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin.
– Precincts were not in the correct district.
– The maps had errors.
– The he language of the Amendment had errors as well.
"Was it a surprise? Absolutely. But like are we going to problem solve, absolutely," said Carlee Alm-Labar, President of the Fix the Charter.
She the group is in the process of researching the errors, even though she states voters have already made their decision.
"I think the overriding thing for us is that on December 8th, people had an opportunity to vote, and 53% of the voters indicated the proposal on the ballot was something they wanted for the future of our Parish," said Alm-Labar.
But while the group and other council members are hopeful the issues could be fixed with a 'cleanup ordinance,' the Secretary of State doesn't believe it's possible.
"That is not the soul fix to this process. Because the people approved it and because the council put it in the city charter, now the city charter has to be amended by a ratification vote of the people," said Sec. Ardoin.
– Ardoin says he will host a meeting with the Mayor-President, Chairman of the City-Parish Council, the Registrar of Voters and the Attorney General Monday morning on the subject.
– A resolution by the council calling for the election would have to be made by March 11.
– The vote by the council would then take place in May.
– The election would proceed in the Fall.
According to the Lafayette Parish Registrar of Voters, holding a new eleciton could cost taxpayers roughly $100,000.
by Lora Lavigne / Jul 17, 2019
LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY)- The attorneys for the man accused of setting fire to three Baptist churches in St. Landry parish met in court today.
Holden Matthews is accused of burning three historically African American Baptist churches in Opelousas and Port Barre in late march and early April of this year.
Here is some sweet news for New Iberia!
A Marble Slab Creamery & Great American Cookie location will open later this year in the Bayou Landing Shopping Center.
A two vehicle crash on US Hwy 61 south of I-10 in St. James Parish took the life of 26-year-old Sean Q. Thomas of Vacherie.
Thomas played for the Cajuns from 2011 until 2014 and won 4 New Orleans Bowl championships.


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Gay solidarity
Bans against homosexuality in Uganda, and in many other countries of Africa, go back as far as the British colonial government, which was guided heavily on social issues by Christian missionaries. A few African countries, such as South Africa, have stripped away colonial-era prohibitions against homosexuality, but other countries, such as Uganda, are working in the opposite direction, adding heavier penalties to the laws that currently exist.
The current antihomosexuality bill under consideration would impose the death penalty for "aggravated homosexuality" committed by "serial offenders." The bill made its first appearance in 2009, but was withdrawn last year after significant pressure from donor nations such as the United States, Britain and Sweden. President Obama called the bill "odious."
The Ugandan Minister of Ethics Simon Lokodo has accompanied police to shut down a workshop in Entebbe for gay rights activists and to arrest its organizer. He told participants to leave or he would order the police to use force. "I have closed this conference because it's illegal," Mr. Lokodo was quoted as saying by the Daily Monitor, a Ugandan newspaper. "We do not accept homosexuality in Uganda. So go back home."
Public assembly of gay people is not a crime under Ugandan law, although homosexuality itself is. Amnesty International condemned the raid of the gay-rights workshop and called on the Ugandan government to "end its outrageous harassment of people involved in lawful activities. This is an outrageous attempt to prevent lawful and peaceful activities of human rights defenders in Uganda," said Salil Shetty, Amnesty International's secretary general in a statement. "The government of Uganda must protect all people against threats, violence, and harassment irrespective of their real or perceived sexual orientation or gender identity."
Labels: Homosexulity, human rights, Uganda
an injury to one, is an injury to all
Many apologists for Mugabe's dictatorship in Zimbabwe describe it as a "socialist" regime and while Socialist Banner have our reservations about the claims of the International "Socialist" Organisation being socialist, too, we feel the issue of democratic free expression is important enough to post extracts from their appeal for solidarity against their harassment.
"Six Zimbabwe socialists, including myself, remain charged with "inciting public violence", following the dismissal by the magistrate of our application for a discharge in Harare last week. We were arrested on February 19 2011, while meeting to watch video footage of democracy protests in Egypt and Tunisia. Forty-five comrades were originally charged with treason for attending the International Socialist Organisation film screening, and one, David Mpatsi, died following a rapid deterioration in his health while he was imprisoned and denied medical treatment. Although the treason charges were eventually dropped, inciting public violence carries a maximum penalty of 10 years' imprisonment.
Our lawyer had applied for the discharge at the close of the state's case, on the basis that it had failed to produce sufficient evidence to require us putting our defence. But the magistrate ruled, without giving any explanation, that the state had established a prima facie case, so the trial is set to continue on February 27. Hopefully we will finish giving our evidence on March 2, but we are now aware of the state's deliberately frustrating delaying tactics.
It is clear that the state aims to continue with its harassment of any opposition voice despite what transpired during the trial with its 'star witness'. He called himself Jonathan Shoko and said he was a police officer attached to the Criminal Investigation Unit, but was exposed to be from the dreaded Central Intelligence Organisation (secret police) and his real name was Rodwell Chitiyo. He took an oath under a false name.
The main purpose of this witness, who had attended the ISO meeting, was to incriminate innocent people. But his evidence, upon which the state is relying, lacked any credibility. He not only lied about his identity, but also about what happened, and it is interesting to note that even the state-sponsored Herald newspaper pointed to the loopholes. The same magistrate could be seen laughing during the time 'Shoko' was giving his hilarious, made-up and rehearsed evidence. Any magistrate in an open and democratic society would surely have dismissed the case immediately. When he was handing down the ruling, he avoided looking at us - an indication that it had been decided by someone other than himself.
The trial is just one example of the harassment of any opposition. On February 14 the police violently broke up the march on parliament organised by the radical Women of Zimbabwe Arise, and a week earlier dozens of armed riot police prevented an academic lecture on 'The global financial crisis and implication for the third world: the case for Zimbabwe' from taking place. It was to be addressed by professor Patrick Bond from South Africa at a city hotel, but the police turned away anybody they thought might be participants.
All this sends a strong message of intimidation by Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front, as we move towards the proposed constitutional referendum and, possibly, elections this year. The intimidation is meant to silence any opposing voice, as the Zimbabwean political crisis nears its climax.
We were saddened by the court ruling not only for our own sake, but for the sake of all Zimbabweans who are willing to fight against the system. Though we had hoped to celebrate the first anniversary of our arrest as free people on February 19, we remain optimistic that we will come through - especially with the support that we continue to receive from our families, friends, comrades in Zimbabwe and throughout the world.
We are stepping up our campaign to put the government under pressure to drop the charges against us and we appeal to comrades outside the country to help us in doing this. The ruling showed that the state thinks it can do anything and, if pressure is not put on them, we will find ourselves sent back to Chikurubi prison."
Tafadzwa Choto
Labels: African Socialism, Zimbabwe
It won't wash
It will take two centuries for sub-Saharan Africa to meet the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) to reduce by half the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation, according to NGO WaterAid.
"Diarrhoea, 90 percent of which is attributable to inadequate sanitation and dirty water, is the single biggest killer of children in Africa, and yet sanitation targets are off-track," Tom Slaymaker, one of the report's authors.
Every day, 2,000 children die from diarrhoea in sub-Saharan Africa. Four out of 10 people do not have access to safe water, while seven out of 10 do not have appropriate sanitation facilities.
Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) are being sidelined as governments concentrate on health and education. It is not a sexy topic - politicians much prefer to say they're opening a hospital or school, rather than building some toilets.
In Ethiopia, 193,000 deaths per year are WASH-related, and 71.4 million people have no access to sanitation facilities. Similar figures apply to Mali, Niger, Benin, Ghana and Congo, where 194,000 deaths a year are WASH-related and 49.5 million people have no access to sanitation facilities.
According to WaterAid, the Côte d'Ivoire administration targeted 0.06 percent of its GDP to water and sanitation, Ghana spent 0.29 percent, Liberia 0.28 percent, Madagascar 0.28 percent, Nigeria 0.18 percent, Uganda 0.41 percent and Zambia 0.56 percent. African governments need to commit at least 3.5 percent of GDP to sanitation and water to get back on track,
Over one billion people will miss the global MDG sanitation target if things continue unchanged In Asia, India will not reach its MDG on sanitation before 2047, while Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal will not achieve the target before 2028.
Labels: health, Millenium Development Goals, sanitation, water
Liberia's land-grab
Hundreds of villagers and town residents of Liberia's Grand Cape Mount Country have attracted nationwide attention in their bid to recover what they say is land seized from them and turned over to a Malaysian agro-industrial concern.
Malaysian company Sime Darby Plantations was granted a permit on 21 April 2010 to cultivate 10,000 hectares of palm oil in Bomi and Grand Cape Mount counties. Now, the company has applied for an additional 15,000 hectares for palm oil cultivation in Garwular and Gola Konneh districts, in the Grand Cape Mount County, and another 20,000 hectares in Gbarpolu County.
"This is unbearable," Mary Freeman Sinje Town said. "Our government must care for us and don't allow these people to kill us silently. What have we done to go through all of these sufferings? This land belongs to us. We were born here and we give birth to our children here too. This is the only place we know."
Labels: Land, land grabbing, Liberia
too little, too late
Of 22.9 million HIV positive people in sub-Saharan Africa, 5.6 million are South African, according to a recent UNAIDS report. But only 1.6 million HIV positive people in South Africa are on antiretrovirals (ARVs), the report said. This amounted to only 37 percent of those who should be on treatment, said Catherine Sozi, coordinator of UNAIDS in South Africa. "We need to put another 1.6 million onto treatment by 2015,"she said.
Botswana, Namibia and Rwanda have more than 80 percent of their eligible HIV-positive populations on ARVs. In Ethiopia, Kenya, Swaziland and Zambia between 60 percent and 79 percent are on ARVs, according to the report.
The Swiss company Lonza is to manufacture anti-retroviral drugs in South Africa in joint venture with the South African government, named Ketlaphela ["I will live or survive" in Sesotho], will establish the first plant to manufacture active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) for anti-retroviral medicines in South Africa.
It may mean cheaper HIV drugs but i does not mean FREE anti-retrovirals. Commerce still takes priority in capitalism
Labels: AIDS, drugs, HIV, pharmaceuticals
same old story - yet another famine
No sooner had the U.N. announced Somalia's famine was over and another hunger crisis looms.
Last year, around 13 million people in the Horn of Africa needed food aid. Now aid agencies warn failed harvests in the Sahel mean 12 million more people require assistance.
The Sahel, the band of desert and scrub that runs south of the Sahara, stretches, west to east, from Senegal to Mauritania, Mali Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Mauritania, a country that is three times the size of Arizona but has the smallest volume of potable water of any nation in the world, is one of the worst affected. A third of its population is already at risk of hunger.
The primary cause is a drought last year described as the worst for decades by the U.N. As a result, food prices have doubled or tripled, while the price of livestock — often the main store of wealth in the Sahel — plunged as pastures turned to desert and the animals began dying of thirst. Nor are such instances of failed rains isolated. A 2011 study by the Center for Forestry at the University of California, Berkeley, found rainfall in the Sahel has almost halved since 1954. In a region already poor and sparsely governed, the drought has intensified competition for food and water, and violent unrest — like recent intertribal battles over cattle in South Sudan — is rising. Northern Mali is currently the scene of a Tuareg rebellion, as is northern Nigeria, where an Islamist militant group, Boko Haram, is waging a campaign of bombings and assassinations against the state.
In a grain storage near Gaet Teidouma, stock manager Jeddou Ould Abdallahi looks helplessly at the few remaining sacks of cereal stacked against the whitewashed walls. There is no way they will feed hundreds of people in surrounding villages until the next harvest in September. "We are on the brink of a famine," he says.
"Within months, people will begin to starve unless we act," warns the European Union's humanitarian-aid commissioner, Kristalina Georgieva.
Johannes Schoors, country director of aid organization CARE in Niger, laments: "Certain donors still want to see dying children before they make available funds. We need to tackle the underlying causes of food insecurity; otherwise, we will face a crisis every year. But who can afford to finance that?"
Scoors is correct. Capitalism cares only for those with economic importance. Only socialism cater for peoples needs
Droughts don't inevitably mean famine. While they may set the conditions for starvation, only human beings ensure it. The world has more than enough food to feed itself.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2106546,00.html?xid=newsletter-europe-weekly
Labels: drought, famine, hunger, Mauritania, sahel
Senegal'S Class Struggle
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade has served Western interests dutifully.
The changes Wade has made to the constitution, enabling his personalisation of the state, were ushered in alongside a number of other changes that served to further open the country to foreign investment.
Wade's primary skill seems to have been signing cheques to foreign companies. By far the most significant achievement for Wade has been opening up mineral exploitation in the country's Toumbacounda region, facilitated by a $527m project to build the largest port in West Africa. The port is being built in a public-private initiative with DP World - an affiliate of the Dubai World Group, a company that also took on an $800m deal to build and run a special economic zone. The port facilitates the extraction of gold by a Canadian and Saudi company, Oromin Venture Group, and two other Canadian companies; Sabodala Mining and Lamgold Group. They are joined by Jersey-based Randgold, and the multi-national Arcelor Mittal. Numerous other valuable metals are found in the area, such as copper, chromium, lithium and uranium. The quantities seem to be less significant than the rare properties they offer for blending in new metal composites. These minerals will make their way to port via massive road rehabilitation and construction projects, which have been doled out to companies such as Swiss-based SGS Industrial, and China's Henan Industrial Cooperation Group and APIX, the government investment agency. Many Senegalese find it painfully insulting that, after 50 years of independence, they still cannot even build their own roads.
Senegal has also been involved in the protracted process of privatising its water services, with an early electricity privatisation that initially involved Hydro-Quebec and later Vivendi, among others. Vivendi is the company so loathed in South Africa for its pre-paid meter system. These privatisation processes lead to rising household bills for working people whose wages have been stagnant.
Wade formed in ideological association with former South African president Thabo Mbeki's campaignaimed for Africa to undergo a renaissance that would include increasing social cohesion, democracy, economic growth and the establishment of Africa as a significant player in world affairs. The most obvious example of this has been the adoption of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), a vehicle to expand the reach of neoliberal free-market economic policy throughout the continent. In short, NEPAD further opened the continent to foreign investment - enshrining property rights, treating foreign firms on par with indigenous firms, cutting taxes, enabling the expropriation of profits, creating tax-free zones, and limiting the rights of workers.
According to Senegal Interior Minister Maitre Ousmane Ngom in 2009: "On the one hand, these reforms aim at improving the business environment, and on the other hand modernising the legal framework and the geological infrastructures to attract and develop foreign direct investments." Not surprisingly, international business interests have offered significant praise for Wade's government over the years. Ousmane boasted that the World Bank's latest "Doing Business" report ranked Senegal as the top reforming country in Africa, and the fifth in the world.
The latest World Bank data shows the current account balance of Senegal at a deficit of $1.029bn. The country exports $3.236bn (2009) and imports $5.919bn. (This inclues foreign aid and remittances.) The exports are of course much larger in actual volume, leading to more shipments leaving the country, but those exports are primary commodities. The value of goods coming in is therefore much greater and is usually manufactured, such as mobile phones, clothing and electronics - the fate of neocolonialism.
Although the global scramble for Senegalese wealth is helping to enrich foreign business and a small local functionary class, the rest of the economy has been suffering. Unemployment rates at around 48 per cent mean Senegalese workers they do so in a highly degrading degrading fashion vy with one another for jobs and wages whose purchasing power constantly diminishes. Many feel a deep sense of despair and humiliation on a daily basis. Senegal has seen a growing division of society between those who can afford pay-per-use services, and those who cannot. Toll roads and new first-class trains sweep the wealthy out to the suburbs, while the rest make their way home in apartheid-style hardship. Agriculture still provides the main source of economic activity for 77 per cent of the labour force, but it remains highly dependent on increasingly unreliable weather patterns. Local peanut production - the most significant agricultural export - has declined, in part due to the privatisation of Sonacos, the state marketing and processing company, but also as a result of changes in climate and soil health. The fishing industry faces declining stocks as foreign trawlers poach along the West African coast with impunity.
Senegalese people need to stop looking for heroic leaders. Y'en a Marre ["Had enough"] members are starting to express some dissatisfaction with the culture of the M23 opposition movement, which is dominated by figureheads, whose politics closely resemble those of President Wade and people who simply want to occupy his throne. M23 prove themselves to be and self-interested, rather than political principled. Y'en a Marre members reveal a greater interest in popular education and grassroots action. They draw inspiration from a long history of non-violent anti-colonial resistance.
Demonstrations have managed to gain significant support outside the capital, Dakar, and taken place in smaller towns throughout the country. There have been a number of labour disputes. For example, most recently, taxi and transport workers managed to stop service for a three-day period with a near-100 per cent participation rate as they protested both the rise in fuel prices and police harassment and bribery. Before that, the union at the national broadcasting corporation participated in a protest and brief labour disruption over claims that the company was being used for Wade's propaganda purposes rather than upholding standards of journalism. For the past three months, there has been a nationally coordinated strike of college and university professors who face ever-growing class sizes but cannot afford basic housing. At the same time, the opposition is nevertheless rather disconnected from the everyday struggles of working people. The demonstrations reveal no practical links with the unions leading these struggles.
Adapted from here
Labels: elections, Senegal, wade
Congo ignored
Over the years, Congo has faced numerous problems such as grinding poverty, crumbling infrastructure, and a war in the east of the country that has dragged on for over a decade and left over 5.4 million people dead.
Congo is rich in diamonds, oil and minerals including tin, tantalum, tungsten which are widely used by the UK firms for producing mobile phones and laptops. The brutal way through which these materials are exploited, such as mass rape and the massacre of children, has led them to be dubbed as "blood minerals."
A British writer, Judith Ammanthishas, condemned the UK government for having turned a blind eye to the severe crisis taking place in the central African nation, because "The crisis in Congo is of no interest to UK government and media, and surprisingly they are happy with the violence occurring in the country. It's quite scandalous that UK government has not addressed the Congo crises, but it is very transparent why this is happening, because it is of no interest to them whether people die or don't die, they only consider UK's financial interests in the region"
President Joseph Kabila has been strongly supported by the western governments, as his People's Party for Reconstruction and Democracy was responsible for militarizing the mining industry, and continued to sell off the Congolese owned mining assets to western firms, specially to UK-based mining company, Eurasian Natural Resources Corporation, that has profited greatly from the situation in Congo.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/227388.html
Labels: Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo
Niger's Hunger
A national survey of vulnerable households shows that 5.4 million people face food insecurity across Niger. Women have been left in charge of many of the households in the village of Zamkoye-Koïra, in western Niger, as food shortages have driven male family members to leave in search of work elsewhere.
"The men have gone to look for a way to feed the women and children left behind in the village, because there was no harvest at all this year," 40-year-old Bibata Mounkaïla told IPS. "We've eaten only once a day for several months," the mother of eight said, in the midst of making a simple porridge out of sorghum that will have to satisfy her family for the whole day. "The situation also means that our children are no longer going to school - the nearest one is in a neighbouring village, three kilometres from here."
Poor rains resulted in a deficit of more than half a million tonnes of grain and a shortfall of fodder for livestock of more than 10 million tonnes. The vulnerability survey, carried out in December 2011, found that more than a third of the population of 15.7 million are in a position of food insecurity - 1.5 million will face severe food shortages.
According to Eric-Alain Ategbo, the chief nutrition expert for the United Nations Children's Fund office in Niamey, the Nigerien capital. some 330,000 children are facing severe malnutrition presently, and nearly 700,000 more face moderate hunger. "We have seen 20,000 cases of malnourishment across the country, with 5,000 new cases recorded each week (in medical centres)."
Labels: famine, hunger, malnutrition, Niger
the new face of money
"They never freed us. They only took the chain from around our neck and put it on our ankles." - Anti-apartheid activist
It is not altogether fair to say that Mandela "sold out." There is simply no escape from the "web" spun by global capital. Indeed, at the national level there is no escape. Capital is global. That is its trump card against any attempt to defy its dictates that is confined within national boundaries. The resistance to capital must also be organised on a global scale if it is to have any chance of success.
South Africa is to issue a complete set of banknotes bearing the image of its first black president, Nelson Mandela. It may seem churlish to begrudge Mandela his current little luxuries or his present adulation after 27 years in prison. But what are his benefactors' motives?
In South Africa, a number of people with black skins appear to have done very well out of the change-over from white domination apartheid, and become a new elite in control of the toilers.
Labels: Nelson Mandela, post-apartheid, South Africa
Nigerian poverty grows
Poverty has risen in Nigeria, with almost 100 million people living on less than a $1 (£0.63) a day, despite economic growth.
The National Bureau of Statistics said 60.9% of Nigerians in 2010 were living in "absolute poverty" - this figure had risen from 54.7% in 2004.
Nigeria is Africa's biggest oil producer yet Nigerians were getting poorer. Despite its vast resources, Nigeria ranks among the most unequal countries in the world. Nigerians themselves understand they are consider themselves are getting poorer. In 2010, 93.9% of respondents felt themselves to be poor compared to 75.5% six years earlier.
The NBS said that relative poverty was most apparent in the north of the country, with Sokoto state's poverty rate the highest at 86.4%. In the north-west and north-east of the country poverty rates were recorded at 77.7% and 76.3% respectively, compared to the south-west at 59.1%.
BBC's Richard Hamilton says it is perhaps no surprise that extremist groups, such as Boko Haram, continue to have an appeal in northern parts of the country, where poverty and underdevelopment are at their most severe.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17015873
Labels: Nigeria, poverty
Capitalism comes to Ghana
We read that the Ghanaian government will step up efforts and reforms aim to make the country the best foreign investment destination in Africa, Mr Ishmael Yamsom, Chairman of the Economic Advisory Council has said. In a keynote address at the opening session of the Euromoney conference on investment opportunities in Ghana on Tuesday, Mr Yamson said government was working to deal with the infrastructural deficit so as to woo more investors.
Socialist Banner is minded of this 1960 Socialist Standard letter on Ghana under Kwame Nkrumah.
...The boat shrugged lazily out of Marseilles harbour into the Mediterranean towards West Africa. For every one African on the boat there were two nuns all crossing themselves at the same time. My berth companion was a young French missionary (sent out to soften up the natives) who was later to read me pieces from the Old Testament and tell me that because I was an African my soul needed saving.
My seat at the dining table was next to an American woman tourist of 65 years, dressed and behaving like a girl of sixteen. Facing her sat a coloured Ghanaian woman married to a wealthy Swiss business man. She told us that because everyone in Switzerland were "equal," she had left her child there to be educated in one of the "best" schools. It was much nicer to have it grow up with ex-Kings and retired millionaires rather than just Africans.
A young Ghanaian girl journalist sat on my left who had been imprisoned with her "idol," Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, when capitalism was being run by the Labour Party. It was, however, interesting to see that she was beginning to understand that Africans were just as capable to administer capitalism as the white man. The poisonous black capitalist boiling pot of intrigue had disappointed one more. Yet she still insisted that the white Africans were interlopers and should be removed, which seemed like race prejudice in reverse.
The journalist had invited me to stay with her friend on reaching Takoradi. The next morning the boat arrived at Takoradi harbour. The police stood around looking like mixtures of male nurses and museum attendants.
After a confiscated passport and the refusal to accept the invitation of accommodation, together with a fantastic questioning. I was quickly deported to Nigeria, which was my destination. This ended my brief visit to the "model democracy."
Speaking on "democracy" in Ghana, Mr. Gaitskell, that great "socialist," said:
"It is not possible for us in Britain to determine how you will develop your democracy. It is your affair, but I think in every new country emerging into nationhood certain principles must be observed. They are national unity, a high degree of personal leadership, and thirdly, and the most important, the preservation of individual liberty at all costs."
How easy these words slip off the tongue of a leader committed to try and reform capitalism. The detentions, deportations and imprisonments by Mr. Nkrumah's government are politely called developing "democracy," supported by the Communists and the shifty Liberal, not to mention the Conservatives, who might have made the same speech themselves. One wonders just how much "individual liberty" the British worker enjoys under his "democracy." What a garnish to hide the stench of British capitalism!
But there is still hope whilst Pacifist Fenner Brockway looks to God and black nationalism to "liberate" the African workers:
"God speed to the new leaders of Africa in the vast arena of constructive tasks which spreads before them! "
Yes, constructive tasks of maintaining the capitalist system in Africa.
Fraternally yours,
OBAJTMI.
Labels: Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah
African, why do you believe this hogwash?
Although whoever wrote the Bible wrote it all by rote, they did not write it right. At best it is a history of the Jews, their neighbours and their beliefs, tragically misunderstood, misinterpreted by psychologically defeated, timid, brainwashed and gullible Africans.
The story of Eden, Adam and ensuing events depicts an area and a primitive tribe, like all primitive (ancient) peoples, and primitive geography, who were not aware of the existence of other people and remote regions, and in other cases completely detached from them. Note that the Bible map is confined to the far north Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia and Libya), Middle East and a few neighbouring areas. That is why (I stand to be corrected) I have yet to come in the Bible across the fate of London, Moscow, Beijing, Pyongyang, Maputo, Harare, Gaborone, Cape Town, unlike the fate of Jerusalem.
"Swords beaten into ploughshares", "spears into pruning hooks", "nation shall not lift up sword against nation", "nor shall they learn war any more" (Isaiah 2:3-4). "Prince of Peace", "Endless peace" (Isaiah 9:6-7). Add the childish fibs in Isaiah 11:1-9 and 15: "Truly O people in Zion, inhabitants of Jerusalem, you shall weep no more" (Isaiah 30:19). I can quote more and more, but the point is, were these dreamers aware of the existence of my cave-dwelling ancestors in Matopos, Makonde caves (Sindia), Wedza, Nyanga, Mhondoro etc? We all have some overlapping primitive beliefs in the supernatural, but while the world and human existence dates back millions of years, the Eden and Adam-based human genealogy is never true of all humans. Add that Adam lived 930 years, calculate his descendents' lives to Noah's descendents to the birth of death of Jesus Christ to now. It is hardly 6,000 years. It is thus clear that the Bible(ists) base their story on primitive, arrogant bigots, dreamers who followed their hallucinations, propagated by dogmatic and undemocratic elders and leaders.
It is ridiculous that one can claim to be religious and democratic at the same time, because once you are religious you are dogmatic. Note that all families, tribes, nations and races started off primitive, some progressed fast, others slowly. Sadly Aborigines and Africans lag furthest behind. Remember that the head of the family was, initially, the head of all affairs, would dictate, impose and mould his family/clan the way he wanted. Hence the dominance of the male in beliefs and even in the deity. Hence might is right. Hence fear of the 'almighty' prevents questioning the fairness in depriving the honest Esau and blessing the liar and cheating Jacob (Genesis 27:24-36). Amusing; the same divine power metes instant justice to Ananias and Sapphira when they cheat (Acts 5:3-11).
Then we are supposed to believe that the same criminal/liar Jacob indeed wrestled with God at Peniel, named Israel (Genesis, 46:22-31), was promised to be a great nation in Egypt (Genesis 46:2-3). And could/would a god of all nations encourage killing, looting, theft, barbarism, the hogwash and diatribes in Deuteronomy 7:1-6; Jeremiah 51:21-23, Exodus 3:21-22? I can quote more chapters on the bible hogwash on encouraging cruelty, the reality is that religion was (in all tribes) created by the dogmatic head relying on his dreams, hallucinations, propaganda and heritage.
Cannot some media be found to enlighten religionists? Kindly bear with my brainwashed, gullible and timid African brethren. The worst defeat inflicted on Africans by aliens, imperialists was/is the psychological one. To make it worse the imperialists first make a fool out of the best (the leader). Hence you find in Africa a leader is a member (or boss) of the Church of England, Holland, USA, Rome etc.
Sadly, religion in Africa is mistaken for morals and yet it is the epitome of arrogance and selfishness, e.g. read the silly talk "…Lord, let me first go and bury my father." No, "…Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead" (Matthew 8:21-22). Then read "…I have not come to bring peace but a sword…" (Matthew 10:34-39). Yet, elsewhere he is said to be Prince of Peace and selfless. Anyway, well for his generation and tribe. To admire such in this era and area calls for the suspension of logic. Why would anyone now and 10,000 km away despise my relatives, friends: emulate/adore an arrogant, primitive egoist who died more than 2,000 years ago. He talked of false prophets; he was one of them. The so-called second coming is based on false primitive dreams and hallucinations. The prophecies are mere prognostications based on previous events. All regions and nations/tribes have natural disasters, plagues and most have wars. Plagues were not in Egypt alone. Famine? Did not many Jews migrate to Egypt when there was a famine in Israel? Well, unlike 'waffling' prophets (generalising/prognosticating on previous events) scientists can accurately forecast some natural events to the exact minute and place. I recall, e.g. in June 2001 and on 9 December 2002 (here in Zim a total eclipse of the sun at the exact place and time). Nothing mystical as per religionists.
Since the events leading to the condemnation of Galileo by Christians the majority of westerners have come to realise that all phenomena considered mysterious and transcendental, are mathematically, scientifically proved (or disproved) and predictable.
Perhaps the Western imperialists' desired effect has been achieved: with the barrage not only over charged cannons (described by my later father as 'nganoon') but the threat of the 'everlasting bonfire', blacks have been made very imaginative. Thus to the majority African the second coming is real, hell is real, despite endless strife in Jerusalem, my ill-learned black apostles sing daily that they will soon join mighty Jesus in Jerusalem (I am ill-equipped, I would send you tons of discs of 'circus' being prayers and spiritual healing sessions). Defeated psychologically, to the African everything western, from children's toys through childish silly tales of talking snakes, the calf sharing the same plate with the rugged Russian bear to the neutron bomb, is superb and real. It is pathetic that my African bastardisation was caused by the traders anyway. But the large-scale bastardisation was not with the extremely clannish selective Jews. It was with other liberal races and not in those early, primitive biblical days.
By the way, what then happened to the very communicative "God of Israel", always forewarning on events to come? It is strange that after "sacrificing his only son" to end sin and strife, there is worse sin and strife; Jerusalem is not a quiet habitation (Isaiah 9). (Gaborone is but never known by the Lord.) Is he the same kind Lord now sitting quietly in eternal peace in Jerusalem (on Mount Zion) now without forewarning, dispensing storms, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, landslides, causing great suffering/deaths, which he could prevent (if he wanted as suggested by religion), just to prove his might. As much as he sacrificed his only son to save the world which was never saved and to make Israel the greatest nation, which was almost wiped out by Hitler instead. So much for propagating and adhering to primitive, arrogant/bigotry/dogma based on archaic dreamers submissive to illusions and hallucinations.
Brethren, and some religious zealots elsewhere, do not realise that the unending strife in the Middle East (current changes of leaders aside) now spreading to north Africa, is sustained by adherence to such primitive bigotry, dogma and propagating the mythical tribal superiority, ignoring the reality that man has always been the most selfish of all animals. And even among humans themselves, there have always been those who want to dominate others. Brothers and sisters, all religion is rubbish. A prayer is a wish! Surely we cannot live without wishes. However fervent our wishes/prayers, they can never erect an imaginary thing into something tangible. Heaven and Hell never exist.
My timid, gullible, submissive fellow Africans, how kind to you Africans (and how cruel are they to themselves) the British that they have set you to fight for the ideal and eternal (actually imaginary) kingdom of mighty Jesus while they are actually acquiring real space and opportunities for themselves and their offspring? They (British) have so far acquired America, Australia, New Zealand, Africa and are currently in Afghanistan for the same purpose. And they are positively convinced that Jesus is coming to nullify all earthly wealth and kingdom yesterday?!
The socio-political systems adopted by all so-called independent African leaders are based on former colonial masters, having been won back soon after hoisting 'own flag' and for decades the masses will celebrate the flapping piece of cloth, realising too late that they have entrenched the same old oppressive robbery, only the complexion or individuals have changed. In our case (Zimbabwe) Messrs Morgan and Robert are just different sides of the same (worthless) banknote. Leaders are converted to imperialists' ideals via flattery, baubles, i.e. awards such as Nobel Peace to a leader whose soldiers are at war elsewhere, doctorates and lavish birthday parties and golden statues while masses starve (literally) to death.
Harmony lies in facing reality. Yes, all our ancestry is primitive. Indeed it is the desire for eternal life (I wish there was) which keeps the otherwise clear landscape of logic clouded with imaginary devils and fatuous gods (I wish there were an infallible, divine, almighty, unerring supernatural being with voluntary decisions and not the creations of primitive human imaginations and hallucinations). Harmony lies in all of us treating and accepting each other as equals, realising that religion is a primitive creation. The maker of the environment (for the moment I assume the agnostic stance) designed it in such a way that we would all be dependent on it and be part of it, fairly, i.e. if you live in Egdon Heath where oranges happen to grow as wild fruit, I must pay you for bringing me some to Harare. But, if I come to Egdon Heath and collect some, you never deserve a penny since you never planted nor watered the orange trees. Thus as per nature, no one even king, queen, people, prime minister, president, mayor etc deserves a penny for any piece of land where they never put anything.
The maker of the environment never commercialised it. Humans did. And the maker never created popes, priests, prime ministers, kings, queens (leaders). Among humans the articulate/cunning manipulated others. Well, initially, it was with good intentions (perhaps), to cause order in the sharing/allocation of what each area of the environment has. Alas! Tell me a single leader who is not abusing power, although in my region the abuse and selfishness is much much worse. At the current level of information we should discard the primitive philosophy, forget the past and work as one civilised humanity.
GODWIN HATITYE,
Labels: christianity, godwin hatitye, religion, Zimbabwe
time to change the system
For the third time in seven years, the Sahel region of west Africa is facing a toxic combination of drought, poor harvests and soaring food prices. In Niger, 6m people are now significantly at risk, together with 2.9m in Mali and 700,000 in Mauritania.
Drought and famine are not extreme events. They are not anomalies. They are merely the sharp end of a global food system that is built on inequality, imbalances and – ultimately – fragility.
An immediate response is needed in order to avert a devastating food and nutrition crisis. In responding, however, we must also redefine the vocabulary of food crisis. It is our global food system that is in crisis. Last year's famine in the Horn of Africa, and the current woes in the Sahel, are the surface cracks of a broken system. These regional outbreaks of hunger are not, as such, extreme events.
The problem is not just about governance shortcomings in Africa, and it is not just about the modalities of delivering food aid. It is also a problem of principle. For decades, we have taken the wrong approach to feeding the world. In many poor countries, investment in agriculture has focused on a limited range of export crops. Too little has been done to support smallholders, who produce food for their local communities. Yet, by supporting these poor farmers, we could enable them to move out of poverty, and enable local food production to meet local needs.
Diverse farming systems, agroforestry and reservoirs to capture rainfall are sorely needed in drought-prone areas such as the Sahel. This requires a real commitment to local food systems, and an acknowledgement that trade and aid cannot provide all the answers, especially when international grain prices are so high.
We must plan adequately for the food crises that emerge within our broken food system, and we must finally acknowledge how broken it is. Only when we are honest about hunger will the world's most vulnerable populations receive the short-term aid and long-term support that they need.
So wrote Olivier De Schutter
But is his solution going to be socialism, the abolition of the market and its drive for profit? Socialist Banner sadly does not think so. No more eternal tinkering with the system . It is time to tackle the root cause of poverty and hunger which is the capitalism.
Labels: famine, hunger, olivier de schutter, poverty
Ethiopia's Land-Grab - the consequences
Ethiopia is forcing tens of thousands of people off their land so it can lease it to foreign investors, leaving former landowners destitute and in some cases starving, Human Rights Watch has said.
The country has already leased three million hectares – an area just smaller than Belgium – to foreign farm businesses, and the US rights group said Addis Ababa had plans to lease another 2.1 million hectares.
Human Rights Watch said 1.5 million Ethiopians would eventually be forced from their land and highlighted what it said was the latest case of forced relocation in its report, Ethiopia: Forced Relocations Bring Hunger, Hardship. "The Ethiopian government under its 'villagisation' programme is forcibly relocating approximately 70,000 indigenous people from the western Gambella region to new villages that lack adequate food, farmland, healthcare and educational facilities," it said. "The first round of forced relocations occurred at the worst possible time of year – the beginning of the harvest. Government failure to provide food assistance for relocated people has caused endemic hunger and cases of starvation."
Labels: Ethiopia, land grabbing


text:
AP Racing Tax Strategy
The Tax Strategy is aimed at setting values recognized as underlying principles of tax behavior and providing guidelines in order to ensure integrity and reputation.
The rules of conduct set out in this Tax Strategy are based on the guiding principles and values underlying the AP Racing Limited Code of Ethics, and that all employees must comply with and which are also applicable to the taxation field.
The Tax Strategy enters into force after the AP Racing Limited Board of Director's approval and is available for consultation to all AP Racing Limited employees, collaborators and stakeholders, interested persons and parties on the Company's website (www.apracing.com).
Values in the tax risk management
The Company tax behavior is to act with honesty and integrity in every sphere of tax matters. The approach to tax risks within AP Racing Limited is consistent with the management of risk across the associated Brembo Group as a whole: indeed, the Global Tax Strategy will be applied world-wide.
AP Racing Limited complies with the tax rules applicable in countries where it operates and such rules are interpreted in such a way that leads to responsible management of tax risks, in order to satisfy the interests of all stakeholders and to ensure the AP Racing's positive reputation. In this sense, the AP Racing considers and manages taxes as a cost of the business activity, in accordance with the principle of legality in order to pursue the primary interest of creating value for shareholders.
Regarding international taxation, the AP Racing Limited ensures the correct application of local domestic legislation, tax treaties and OECD guidance in cross-border intra-group transactions, in order to guarantee the alignment of the arm's length allocation of the profits/losses between wider Group members and their economic value creation.
Indeed, AP Racing Limited does not enter into arrangements resulting in tax benefits not accompanied by valid economic reasons and that might be abusive.
Further, AP Racing Limited does not use tax haven jurisdictions for tax avoidance purposes and do not seek tax rulings related to harmful preferential tax regimes.
Notwithstanding, AP Racing Limited will look to benefit from available tax incentives, i.e. intended by the legislations, that require an economic substance in order to be granted by the relevant authorities and jurisdictions and when they are consistent with the business of the Company.
AP Racing Limited maintains a co-operative and transparent relationship with the local tax administrations, ensuring that the latter, inter alia, may acquire the full understanding of the underlying facts of the application of tax rules by the Company.
In defense of both the public interest its shareholder, AP Racing Limited believes that it is legitimate to support - also through legal proceedings – the reasonable interpretation and consequently application of the rules, where there are interpretative discrepancies with the tax administrations.


Visiting Leiden, reading Richard Powers' "The Echo Maker"
I am on the train, speeding across the damp level ground of Holland, returning south to Paris. The sky is grey, mist hangs on the few open fields that are visible from the train tracks. This part of Europe is densely populated, cities merge one into the other, a continuum of factories and roads and canals and houses.
This morning in my hotel room in Leiden I finished Richard Powers' latest book, "The Echo Maker". There was more than one resonance in this; Powers had spent time himself in Holland many years previously and this cold flat part of Northern Europe features in more than one of his books. And the "Echo Maker" situates itself on the plains of Nebraska.
In Paris: Here is the review of Powers' book I wrote during this trip, the text which follows after those two paragraphs.
My trip to Leiden was otherwise uneventful, just a handful of days at the start of March. Walking from the University to my hotel through unpredictable sudden showers of rain and hail. In the distance rolling raincloud after rolling raincloud coming in from the ocean only a short distance away. Cold, damp air, fields around sodden with water. In the streets and on the buses I found people to be unfailingly friendly and helpful, all of them speaking perfect English. I was confused: this air and weather told me that I must be in some gloomy corner of a certain set of northern Islands. And at mid-day, almost nothing to eat in the University canteen: my years in France and Italy have made me an unhappy traveler at times. In the canteen, I endlessly slid my tray from the beginning to the end of the line in a desperate and fruitless search for sustenance: instead, I found five different kinds of sandwiches, soup, milk. How could one have such a large canteen with no warm food? The question remains unanswered.


- Adjustable straps by fastening buttons at shoulder (3 different lengths).
SIZE XS: 16.5" waist, 19" hips, 22" rise, 30-31" length.
SIZE S: 17.5" waist, 20" hips, 22.25" rise, 30-31" length.
SIZE M: 18.5" waist, 21" hips, 22.5" rise, 30.5-31.5" length.
SIZE L: 19.5" waist, 22" hips, 22.75" rise, 30.5-31.5" length.
SIZE XL: 20.5" waist, 23" hips, 23" rise, 31-32" length.


Steve Jobs passed away today. The world has lost a genius. The business world has lost an inspiring CEO. And we have lost a true master in sales presentations.
My first answer would be that there are lessons we can learn from Steve Jobs and that could be valuable to our business efficiency … I found out 12 lessons that we can keep from Steve Jobs, and you?


As they say in the wilderness "Howdy Susan!" and welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel.
My family and I truly adore staying within the peaceful and rustic surroundings of the Cabins at Disney's Fort Wilderness Resort. One of the things we most enjoy is the freedom the cabins provide us to spread out and relax in plus we love that we can prepare our own meals if we so choose in the fully equipped kitchen or outdoors on the provided grill. It may be helpful for you to know that Guests can pre-order groceries for delivery direct to their cabins via this handy Disney's Fort Wilderness Cabins - Grocery Order Form.
I've always thought the jolly looking golf carts many folks seem to use at The Fort seemed like a whole lot of fun and of course would provide a great way to explore this rather expansive Disney Resort. Although I've never arranged golf cart rental from another provider Guests can certainly arrange 4 Seat Golf Cart Rental direct from Disney up to 1 whole yEar prior to arrival or have the additional option to provide their own golf cart which must adhere to the current Vehicles, Carts and Recreational Devices - Rules & Regulations.
Wishing you an extra magical upcoming September visit to the magic of Walt Disney World Resort.


Walk in Anytime! No appointment necessary.
*For appointments: Clients will be next in the chair at their scheduled time.
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Women's Haircut Call For Pricing & Availability.


text:
Law Office Hardware
Tapping into Enterprise Voice Solutions to Increase Law Firm Productivity
From the moment McCune & Harber, my Los Angeles-based firm, opened its doors in 2001, we've used a digital dictation system. With sixteen attorneys working private and public entity defense, insurance defense, personal injury, discrimination, and employment litigation, we wanted to avoid the inefficiency and security risk of tapes lying around. We were told our digital system would likely last three to five years, but managed to stretch its use for nine years.
By the time we started searching for a new system in early 2010, however, we had used the old one for so long we didn't realize how its limitations were affecting our productivity. Our old system would not allow multiple dictation folders to map to the same location, for instance, which made efficient file management difficult. So, as we began to evaluate the newer options available, we also began to evaluate how the technology could actually improve our workflow.
Criteria: Ease of Use, Flexibility, Ease of Installation
With guidance from our office technology dealer, we reviewed solutions with three criteria in mind:
Flexibility; and
Ease of installation.
Like many legal firms operating out of a single location, we didn't believe an enterprise solution was necessary. It was somewhat eye-opening, therefore, to learn some of the workflow benefits offered by server-based digital voice solution.
Workflow Benefits
Case-in-point: In the past, our attorneys docked their handheld recorders into specific PCs and downloaded all of their recorded files at once. Periodically, their secretaries manually searched for new transcriptions. What our attorneys couldn't do was select only certain completed dictation files for download, while saving those not yet finished. Secretaries didn't receive notification when new dictation files were downloaded, nor could they access dictation remotely.
It's these kinds of workflow benefits that should not be overlooked when evaluating latest voice solution options. Another benefit we discovered when searching for a new system was remote access to files. While I have to admit that only one of our attorneys and two secretaries currently use our new system's online capability to work remotely, we anticipate more doing so in the future. By allowing secure access to dictation files without the safety risk associated with emailing sensitive legal information, the technology opens up the possibility of outsourcing transcription, or allowing employees on extended leave to work from home.
More importantly, attorneys within the office find their dictation a little easier. The Philips SpeechExec Enterprise software lets them dictate as they always have, but after placing their handheld recorders into their docking stations, files automatically transfer to individual folders on the server. If we have technical difficulties with a particular computer, attorneys still can transfer files from any other docking station. Since each attorney's files automatically are labeled to start with their initials, it's easy to tell them apart.
The system also accepts multiple dictations at the same time, which lets attorneys change gears on the fly and select exactly which files to download just by marking them "complete." As with most digital solutions, they retain the flexibility to insert notes into any point in an audio file when needed.
Biggest Benefit
The biggest benefit, though, comes from the fact that having all PCs linked to the same server allows secretaries to see all dictation in the queue--not just those of the attorney for whom she works. Files still can be flagged for specific transcriptionists, but there is added flexibility now. If a secretary happens to be out sick, files don't have to languish until her return--others can access the files and fill in.
Our IT department appreciates workflow benefits from the system as well. The ability to make one global change to all PCs simultaneously via the server--as opposed to upgrading each PC separately as was required in the past--saves a huge amount of time. They also can remotely access the system to troubleshoot any problems on hardware and software as they arise.
Transition to Digital
It was important to us that our new system be installed with minimal disruption, as we absolutely cannot afford downtime. Fortunately, because we opted for a small dedicated dictation server, All Makes Office Machine Co., Inc. was able to create all of our folders and the necessary IT relationships ahead of time. The actual transition took only three days, with most of the work taking place the first day. The attorneys continued using the old system uninterrupted while the new one was being implemented. They literally emptied their recorders at the end of the day, and immediately were live on the Philips solution.
In the end, we think it is important for legal firms to consider the productivity gains possible through an enterprise-wide voice solution. It's been a positive investment in our firm's future that already is paying dividends.


Theatre season at Notre Dame is currently in the eye of the dramatic storm. The Notre Dame Shakespeare Festival concluded before the end of August, and the first FTT plays won't premiere until the very end of the month. But the drought on campus need not be the end of the story for theatre-goers — the Morris Performing Arts Center has already begun its fall theatre schedule.
The national touring production of "Wicked: The Untold Story of the Witches of Oz" began its run at the Morris last week. The play is based on a 1995 novel of the same name that also resurrects the character of The Wicked Witch of the West.
In "Wicked," her name is Elphaba, and she is tragically misunderstood, strong-willed and green. At Shiz University, where most of the plot takes place, she rooms with her exact opposite, the fantastically popular, fashionable and blonde Galinda (later Glinda the Good).
The parts were originated in the Broadway production of "Wicked" by Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Kristin Chenoweth as Galinda, and "Defying Gravity" quickly became the most identifiable tune from the soundtrack.
The version of "Defying Gravity" by Amanda Jane Cooper (Galinda) and Jessica Vosk (Elphaba) is compelling, though difficult to compare to Menzel and Chenoweth's rendition readily available on Spotify.
Highlights from the South Bend show, however, included two slightly less famous numbers. Cooper's rendition of "Popular" was perfectly adolescent. If her "Valley Girl lift" could be a bit much at times when she was speaking (though it gave her the perfect giggle in response to her first meeting with Fiyero), it was ideal for this song. She was fantastically physical, flouncing and twirling across the stage and on her and Elphaba's beds.
Vosk's version of "No Good Deed" was equally wonderful — she took over the stage with ease and her anger and heartbreak were tangible throughout the performance. The end of this musical number garnered the largest applause of the night Sept. 8.
The supporting characters were particularly strong — the few solos performed by Nessarose (Elphaba's sister) make you wish Kristen Martin had more opportunity to show off her voice.
Overall, the show was wickedly wonderful. Madame Morrible (Wendy Worthington) was not overly remarkable at her first appearance. But by the end, when her voice transformed to mimic the traditional Wicked Witch of the West, she was one of the strongest characters.
Fortunately, perhaps, the most negative aspects of the show have nothing to do with the production itself.
The Morris does not have a consistent policy against allowing people to enter the show late, and unfortunately that meant several large groups were allowed to enter the theatre five to 15 minutes after the show began. Despite warnings at the beginning of the show, a cellphone did go off 10 minutes into the performance. At the end, several groups left before the final bows were taken.
Perhaps most shocking to me, however, was the fact a woman sat behind me and sang along to all of her favorites from the soundtrack, including "Defying Gravity." It is, unfortunately, the most memorable part about that particular number for me.
I mention these annoyances not because they ruined the production for me ("Wicked" was still a great experience), but to remind anyone who attends a live performance this year (or ever) to remember the rules of theatre etiquette.
Arrive on time, silence or turn off your phones, stay in your seats to applaud the performance (unless it was truly awful) and remember you aren't the only one in the audience. Singing along is only appropriate when encouraged to do so by the performer. These things are not merely marks of respect for your fellow audience members, but also for the performers. It actually makes their job harder when there are multiple distractions in the audience.
Despite these points, the performance of "Wicked" was definitely worth the trip into downtown South Bend.
Tickets for "Wicked" at the Morris are available online at their website and the show runs through Sept 18. Tickets prices range between $25 and $139.


text:
ArticlesInternational
Gay Marriage Steals The Show At 56th Grammys As 33 Couples Tie The Knot
The biggest moment of the 56th Grammys ceremony belonged to the 33 couples who wed on stage during Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's performance of their zeitgeist-capturing same sex marriage anthem 'Same Love.' A bejewelled Madonna, who remains relevant only as a touring giant, was awkwardly shoe-horned into the performance when she really added nothing. The much talked about award night stole the show by its on-air wedding of 33 couples — gay, straight, old, young, of many races and many colors. The ceremony was the part of the hip-hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis's performance of their Grammy-nominated song "Same Love," which became a marriage-equality anthem last year just as that issue was drawing intense national attention.
"Music has the power to bring people together at the Grammys," Queen Latifah said, introducing Macklemore. "This song is a love song not for some of us but all of us!"
Macklemore came out rapping in front of an altar, with lyrics like "No freedom till we're equal." Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, winners of the best new artist award came on stage to perform their hit single "Same Love" which is basically a song dedicated to the Queer society. In the middle of the song, actress Queen Latifah came on stage to announce that couples are getting married right there in the midst of the award ceremony shortly. "It is my distinct honor to ask the participants to exchange rings," Latifa gestured.
The camera zoomed into the face of a very handsome Indian man wearing a blue sherwani holding hands with his male partner who he would marry shortly after. The camera then moved across the hall to focus on other couples as the world witnessed another male couple tie the knot. The ceremony was one of a kind and the best part about it was the female musicians on stage singing : "I can't change, even if I try, even if I wanted to..my love my love my love, she keeps me warm".
Queen of Pop Madonna soon entered the stage in a white suit singing "Open your heart to me" as new husbands hugged husbands, brides hugged brides or husbands hugged brides, including couples of all sexes and colors. The couples walked the aisle to a standing ovation of everyone in the room. Many in attendance had tears in their eyes.
The segment follows what the Grammy organizers said was the show's long history of addressing timely social issues through music, like Elton John's duet in 2001 with Eminem, who was then widely criticized as homophobic.
"We're serious about this," said Ken Ehrlich, the long-time producer of the Grammys. The organizers said they knew that controversy might be inevitable, given those who oppose gay marriage or who might see the segment as trivializing a serious matter.
Raahul Chiranjit Sen
Raahul is a complete party animal, an activist, columnist by passion, loves reading non-fictions when the sun is up and works as Business Analyst from dusk to dawn..
Latest posts by Raahul Chiranjit Sen (see all)
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Kolkata Turned Rainbow Coloured On Its 13th Annual Pride Walk - July 15, 2014
Kolkata Prepares For Pride With A Colourful Pre-Pride Accessories Workshop - June 17, 2014
Elton JohnFeaturedGay MarriageGrammysMacklemore & Ryan LewisMadonnaQueen Latifah
Previous ArticleWendell Rodricks, Openly Gay Fashion Designer, Awarded Padma Shri
Next ArticleDedh Ishqiya – A Beautiful Portrayal of Lesbian Love
Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan says 'It is Government's Duty to Protect Rights of Gays'
रविश के नाम ट्रांस* बिल के विरोध में खत
This Traditional South Indian Engagement of A Gay Couple Will Steal Your Heart
Poem: Dear Lover
The Sexuality of Villains (And the Story That Bollywood will not Tell)
Law Minister Gowda backtracks on Sec 377, says was 'mis-quoted'


text:
Q: Selenium Webdriver does not load the entire page I am trying to load the URL: (https://shop.countdown.co.nz/shop/browse/beer-wine) using selenium webdriver, but despite waiting for jquery to load and ajax to finish, the entire webpage does not get loaded! I am new to WebDriver, so if someone could load this page and post the code, I would appreciate that. The webpage does get loaded inside Chrome and I can see a lot of content inside the tag .
Here is my newbie code that I used to load this page:
public static void waitForAjaxToFinish(WebDriver driver) {

    WebDriverWait wait = new WebDriverWait(driver, 10000);
    wait.until(new ExpectedCondition<Boolean>() {

        public Boolean apply(WebDriver wdriver) {
            return ((JavascriptExecutor) driver).executeScript("return jQuery.active == 0").equals(true);
        }

    });
}
public static void waitForJQueryToBeActive(WebDriver driver) {
    Boolean isJqueryUsed = (Boolean) ((JavascriptExecutor) driver)
            .executeScript("return (typeof(jQuery) != 'undefined')");
    if (isJqueryUsed) {
        while (true) {
            // JavaScript test to verify jQuery is active or not
            Boolean ajaxIsComplete = (Boolean) (((JavascriptExecutor) driver)
                    .executeScript("return jQuery.active == 0"));
            if (ajaxIsComplete)
                break;
            try {
                Thread.sleep(100);
            } catch (InterruptedException e) {
            }
        }
    }
}

private static void useSelenium() throws Exception {
    WebDriver driver = new ChromeDriver();
    waitForAjaxToFinish(driver);
    waitForJQueryToBeActive(driver);
    try {
        driver.get(COUNTDOWN_URL_MAIN);
        System.out.println(driver.getPageSource());
    } finally {
        driver.quit();
    }
}

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
if ifconfig | grep {{ swift_floating_ip }} > /dev/null 2>&1; then
  sudo /etc/sensu/plugins/check-swift-dispersion.py -c 98 -d 99 -o 98 -n 99
fi;

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


This role is at a world renowned law firm. This firm has grown at an exponential rate and is currently searching for a talented individual to join their strong business team as a Finance Manager. This position will report directly to the Finance Director. The ideal candidate is a high calibre, recently CIMA/ACA/ACCA qualified accountant who is positive, curious and keen to add value to this prestigious business.
The role holder will be responsible for the core monthly finance processes which is key to the success of any finance function but equally, they will also gain exposure to key commercial elements such as and partnering with the relevant business staff to drive cost efficiencies. The role holder will have one direct report, a business analyst. It is likely that this analyst will take on the brunt of the technical role, therefore giving the Finance Manager the opportunity to engage with the more high level, interesting work.
This role is based at the Old Bailey.


After one hour of rain the soi was completely flooded.
This was no April Fool's joke for residents and business owners in Pattaya as heavy rain resulted in flooding in a number of areas around the city, in particular the Naklua area.
One road, Wat Nong Yai Moo 6, had to be blocked off as vehicles were unable to traverse through the street due to the high water level.
One resident, a Mr. Sompong Puangmalai said flooding was normal following heavy rain and it often took a few hours for the flow of water to disperse, once the rains had ceased.
One possible cause of the floods is trash being washed into the drains causing blockages.
Long suffering residents would love to see a permanent solution to the drainage problems but so far, several plans have failed to reduce the deluge of water gathering in the streets following heavy downpours.


text:
Memberships Are Limited So Apply Today!
I'm Searching For A Few New Members For My 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club...
That's Right...I've Opened Up Some Memberships in My Mastermind Club, and I'm Searching for a Few Champions that are Ready to Double, Triple, or Even Quadruple Their Bottom-Line Profits Over the Next 12 Months PLUS Conquer Indecision and Eliminate Procrastination Forever. Is that You? I Believe It Could Be! - John Di Lemme
"There is nothing else like this Club in the world! I went from no business to over 7 Million Dollars, but more importantly, I love my life again!" - Mark Smith, Construction Company Owner, Florida
Submit Your Name And Email Below to Learn about How to Join the 17K Club
The 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club?
The 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club is an elite network of like-minded, success driven entrepreneurs and business owners from all walks of life coming together to learn from the collective experience of the group and ultimately take their lives to the next level under the mentorship of John Di Lemme, a titan in the industry of Marketing & Motivation.
Who Is John Di Lemme And Why Did He Build This 17K Mastermind Club?
Basically, I was a shy, stuttering Italian kid from Yonkers, New York that grew up working behind the scenes in the family art gallery.
I overcame my stuttering and built my self-belief by immersing myself in positive, personal development materials every day and associating with people that believed in me, pushed me, and empowered me.
Without those people, I'm not sure where I would be! That's exactly why I built this Club.
You are who you associate with...it's been proven time and time again. My Coaching and 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club has generated over 100 Million Dollar in business for my clients, but more importantly, it's given them a blueprint for success that they can easily follow and a Community of Champions that they can depend on.
Your Success Journey was not meant to be traveled alone!
Who Are The Members Of My 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club?
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It's truly a community of Champions that support each other in a learning environment to achieve massive success in their lives and businesses.
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What Are The Benefits Of The 17K Club?
5 - *2* Day Private Member Only Mastermind Events
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Limited to *20* Members
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- Dr. Christa Krzeminski, Chiropractor and Holistic Health Practitioner, Florida
LIVE Events are Important for Our Growth...
"The Champions in the 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club inspire us to be better in every area of our lives! The LIVE events are very important for our growth.
I look forward sitting in the room with the other Members listening to John teach again very soon. It's a true investment of our time to be with such like-minded Champions that empower and encourage us along our success journey."
- Dr. Fred & Ruth Dartford, Dental Office Owners, United Kingdom
Private Member Only Access to the Online Millionaire Vault
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The LIVE events are awesome, but there's nothing like being able to hit pause and stew on a powerful concept to see how it can apply to my life and business! I love that it's called the vault, because it really is a gold mine that I can use to grow my most valuable asset - MY mind!"
- Christen Adolfi, Realtor, New York
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Here's A SNEAK PEEK Of What You Can Experience As A Member of My 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club...
"I wasted thousands of dollars on coaching, leads, etc. that just didn't work. That ended when I joined the Club and John became my mentor! I'm making more money than ever in my business, and I know that the impossible is possible for me!" - Jeff Pryor, Direct Sales, New York
What is this Membership Going to Cost Me?
The Better Question for You to Ask is...
How Much will It Cost Me NOT Being a Member of the 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club?
How Much have These Things Cost You...
Missed Opportunities that Make You Look Back with Regret.
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This Membership Could Easily be Marketed for Well Over $75,000 a Year for the Results that have been Achieved by the Champion Mastermind Members, but Not Today!
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Submit Your Name and email below to Learn All About the Special...
I can Promise You that My Current Members will Tell You that Their Return on Investment is Remarkable!
"What I love best about John Di Lemme's 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club is the community of Champions. The Club members are amazing and have changed my life. I look forward to learning from all of them at upcoming events!" - Dr. Christa Krzeminski, Holistic Healthcare Practitioner, Florida
So, How Do You Join The 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club?
Inquire Now to learn more about How the 17K Club Can Benefit You
Tell Us Your Goals through a Phone Call with Christie
The second step is a phone call with Christie, Director of Long-Term Client Loyalty, to chat about your goals and answer your questions about the 17K Club. Since we are focused on building long-term relationships with our Club Members, having an actual conversation with you about your life and business goals is extremely important.
That's It! You will become an Official Member
Final step…once your membership is approved, you will become an official member of my 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club! Remember, the first step is to apply…
"Being a Member of this Club has made me step outside my comfort zone and face challenges that have held me back for years. My business has grown over 1,000%, and I'm just getting started!" - Carol Grant, Lawyer, Florida
Take a Look at the Reviews from Real People Just Like You...
My Income has Quadrupled!
"John Di Lemme has built a caring, trusting, supportive, and safe community in the Club where we as his students can dream big and achieve our goals. My income has quadrupled, my business is explosive, and I'm in the best health of my life! John is an enthusiastic motivator and a marketing genius!"
- Dr. Sandra Kahn, Oriental Medicine, Florida
My Growth is Incredible!
"The 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club has given me the confidence to build my business. My growth is incredible, but I also love coming to the LIVE events so that I can see the other members' radical growth too. There's nowhere else in the world that this is happening!"
- Eric Chamberlain, Landscape Company Owner, New York
The Impossible is Possible for Me!
"I cannot explain how the 17K Inner Circle Champion Mastermind Club has changed my life! I feel like I'm growing like never before. I have a BOLD vision for my life and my Why. The impossible is possible for me! I will no longer zigzag through life. The limiting beliefs are being removed forever!"
- Angie Outen, Direct Sales, North Carolina
"John Di Lemme and the Champion Club Members have taught me that the impossible is possible for me. Thank you supporting me and believing in me! I can't wait until the next LIVE mastermind event!"
- Ruth Dartford, Entrepreneur, Dentist Office Owner, United Kingdom
"Since I've been a member of the Club, my results have been tremendous. John and his team are genuine and committed to my success. Joining the Club was one of the best decisions in my life! You simply cannot be out there alone and expect to live out your full potential." - Lee Amody, Real Estate Auction Specialist, New York


text:
Røgpuster bruges ifbm biavl. Røg fra grene og blade er et almindeligt anvendt middel til at drive bierne væk fra honningtavlerne. Bierne tror tilsyneladende, at deres hjem trues af skovbrand, og fylder sig derfor med honning for at tage forråd med, hvis de skal forlade boet. Når de har fyldt honningmave, kan de ikke krumme sig så meget sammen og stikke.
En røgpuster består af et forbrændingsrum og en blæsebælg til at puste røgen ud med.

Biavl

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


text:
Q: Is there any way to load a nib without using the class UINib? The documentation states that UINib will throw and exception if nibName is not found.
let nib = UINib(nibName: , bundle: )

Unfortunately, it's not marked with throws so I cannot capture the error.
Checking the .xib file exists using the following
FileManager.default.fileExists(atPath: )

The documentation for fileExists(atPath: ) highlights race conditions, file permissions and security. So the best way to move forward with file introspection is to just load the file and handle any erros loading the file rather than check it's location first.
So is there any way to load a nib without using the class UINib?

A: You should use UINib, it will be a lot simpler.  You just have to wrap it with some ObjcTry method like the solution presented in Swift Error Handling For Methods That Do Not Throw


text:
The Althea Tapes
After her encounter with Isabelle and the helicopter, Al confesses a newfound hope for the future and the importance of her taped interviews.
More Full Episodes From This Season
Al makes an arrangement with Ed, a reluctant survivor trying to get home to his family. Quid pro quo: Al will drive him to Tyler, Texas in exchange for Ed's story.
Earl and CJ
Al interviews CJ and Earl, a mismatched pair of travelers with vastly different stories. Over the course of the interview, new insights change the way Earl and CJ understand each other and a new course is charted.
Al interviews Clark, a family man, who's emerged from seclusion to check on his former place of business. Over the course of the interview, Al senses an opportunity that might pay off down the road.
Al interviews Jody, a surgeon from before the fall. Despite the trauma she's endured, Jody focuses on doing all she can to help other survivors.
Al interviews Samora, a survivor struggling with debilitating obsessive-compulsive disorder. Samora recounts her journey to the brink and what brought her back.
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text:
Chief Commissioner's message
Lucas Silveira: Struggling for acceptance
Mahadeo Sukhai: Accommodating accomplishment
Jeffrey Tekano: Surviving solitary confinement
The Canadian Human Rights Commission (Commission) is akin to an Agent of Parliament. It operates independently from government. As Canada's human rights watchdog, the Commission is responsible for representing the public interest and holding the Government of Canada to account on matters related to human rights.
The Canadian Human Rights Act gives the Commission the authority to research, raise awareness, and speak out on any matter related to human rights in Canada.
The Commission is responsible for administering the law, which protects people in Canada from discrimination when based on any of the 11 grounds such as race, sex and disability.
The Commission receives discrimination complaints and works with both the complainant and respondent to resolve the issues through mediation. When a complaint cannot be settled, or when the Commission determines that further examination is warranted, it may refer the complaint to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal.
The Commission also works with federally regulated employers to ensure compliance with the Employment Equity Act. This contributes to the elimination of employment barriers in various workplaces for women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities and visible minorities.
Marie-Claude Landry
Marie-Claude Landry, Ad. E., was appointed Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission for a seven-year term on March 30, 2015. The Chief Commissioner serves as the Chief Executive Officer and leads the Commission.
David Langtry
Tara Erskine
Sheila M. MacPherson
Judy C. Mintz
Kelly J. Serbu
Peggy Warolin
David Langtry serves as Deputy Chief Commissioner. Tara Erskine, Sheila M. MacPherson, Judy C. Mintz, Kelly J. Serbu and Peggy Warolin all serve as Part-time Commissioners.
The work of the Commission is carried out by a team of approximately 185 people.
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Explore the report
Chief Commissioner's message
Struggling for acceptance
Accommodating accomplishment
Surviving solitary confinement
Canadian Human Rights Commission
344 Slater Street, 8th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1E1
© Minister of Public Works and Government Services 2016